The atmosphere at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had let in 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or had there never been a thread maintaining its structure from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, only for him to later acknowledge that the management had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Reports that he might quit were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio became as messy in their performances as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their first five games, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it's been difficult to ascertain if progress is being made or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unexpected Return
One individual kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio this season. He was on last season on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, Lazio were pushing for him to remain there temporarily. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. They were unable to thin their squad with no new signings.
He joined initially during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was still trying to determine the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
